I hope that everyone had a nice week! We were back in the pool yesterday and it is hard to believe, but there are only two weeks left in our season! We have 5 practices left and 2 very big meets…so it is a full two weeks. We strongly encourage everyone to make these last 5 practices as we will be focusing on the finer points for our big meets and getting psyched up for some great swims. News for this week…

–Swimmers of the Week - This week's swimmers of the week distinction actually spans the last two weeks since we didn't do a weekly update over vacation. The Swimmers of the Week areTrevor Chase and Tzur Almog. Both Trevor and Tzur work extremely hard in practice and lead by example. Trevor has that rare quality of being told something new once and being able to do it the first time. He rarely misses a practice and always works hard every time he is in the pool. And he just keeps improving! Tzur has an amazing work ethic. He is up to every challenge he is given in practice and just keeps working his hardest no matter what the set is. He never slacks off and his constantly dropping times refelct that.  Both Trevor and Tzur are great examples to the other swimmers on the team. They are true team players! Congratulations Trevor and Tzur.

–Meet Saturday - This Saturday we have our last dual meet (AWAY) against Mystic Valley (in Malden). This will probably be our toughest meet of the year! Mystic Valley beat Longfellow this year by about 10 points (and we lost to Longfellow by 2 points)…so we should see some great competition. Not only will it be a great meet, but it will get everyone back in the racing mode after a month without a meet. Mystic Valley has a new six lane pool which will be fun to swim in. We hope that everyone can make the meet! Timing for the meet is:
      –11:45 am – Arrival
      –12:00 noon – Warm Up
      –12:30 pm – Meet Starts
As always, please sign up on the bulletin board as to whether your swimmer will attend the meet. We also need some volunteers, so sign up for that as well. 

– Championships - The Championship Meet is Saturday, March 10^th at Boston University. We assume that ALL swimmers will swim in this meet. It is a great culmination of the season…the kids have put in lots of hard work and this is their opportunity to shine. We hope to defend our title as league champions! If your swimmer has a conflict, please let Jeanne know as soon as possible. (**Please don't assume I know of anyone's conflict…re-communicate any conflict.**) The meet is split into two sessions…one for the younger kids and one for the older kids. There are always some families who end up having kids in both sessions. Timing for the meet is:
      –10&unders

          – 7:30 am Doors Open
          – 8:44 am WJW Warm Up
          – 9:10 am Meet Starts
          – 1:00 pm Meet Ends

      –11&up

          – 2:30 pm Doors Open

          – 3:44 pm WJW Warm Up

          – 4:10 pm Meet Starts

          – 8:00 pm Meet Ends

Each team is asked to provide a certain number of volunteers for the meet…so look for that sign up soon!

That is it for this week. See you at the pool!

Jeanne

We have had a good week at the pool.  The kids are really getting their backstroke counts down!  Please make sure to take a look at the Feb. vacation schedule.  Also, we are offering some stroke clinics during the vacation week.  News for this week…

–Swimmers of the Week - This week's swimmers of the week are Kate Normandin and Jessica Lam.  The coaches have noticed Kate's positive attitude in practice, willingness to do what is needed, and good work ethic.  One particular example is from a practice when Kate's lane was asked if someone would move over to the neighboring lane to even the numbers out.  Kate volunteered right away even though it meant leaving a lane full of friends.  She immediately said "hi" to the kids in the other lane and went to work.  A great example to all!  Jessica is an unsung hero on the team.  She often swims up an age group in meets or swims an event that isn't her best event because we need her to do so.  She will swim an extra relay if we ask and in practice, she works hard.  All of this she does with a smile and without a single complaint.  
A true team player!  Congratulations Kate and Jessica.

–Focus of the Week - We will continue to work on backstroke counts (the number of strokes from the flags to the wall).  The goal is for the kids to know their count so they don't have to look for the wall (which slows them down) and they don't crash into the wall.  Ask your swimmers their count!

–February Vacation Schedule:

   -Sunday, Feb. 19^th - NO PRACTICE

   -Monday, Feb. 20th - Optional Practice as follows:

• 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm   6&unders
• 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm   7&8 year olds
• 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm   9&10 year olds
• 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm   Ages 11&up

     -Wednesday, Feb. 22^nd - Stroke Clinic (see below)
     -Thursday, Feb. 23^rd - Stroke Clinic (see below)
     -Sunday, Feb. 26th - Practice as usual

–February Vacation Stroke Clinics - We are fortunate to have Jen Dutton offer her February stroke clinics again this year.  They will take place on Wed., Feb. 22nd from 3:30-4:45 (free and back) and Thurs., Feb. 23rd from 3:30-4:45 (fly and breast).  Cost is $15/session.  For ages 10&up.  Each clinic limited to 15 swimmers.  Go to the following link to sign up:

Click here to sign up for stroke clinic

–Championships - The Championship meet is Saturday, March 10th at Boston University.  Everyone on the team will be entered in the meet and we assume they will be swimming.  The meet is split into two sessions because of the number of kids competing (there are 12 teams in our league).  Every year we have several families who have kids in both sessions and we are more than happy to help you with rides, etc. as it is a long day.  More meet details to follow, but for planning purposes the estimated timing is below:
    —10&unders – 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
    —11 & up – 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm

–Scoring - Some have asked how dual meets are scored.  For individual events, teams are awarded 3 points for first place, 2 points for second place and 1 point for third place.  A team cannot sweep an event.  For relays, teams are awarded 6 points for first place and 4 points for second place.  Again, a team cannot sweep an event.  Any swimmer from any heat in an event can score as it is based on the actual times (ie, a swimmer in heat 3 can get first place if they have the fastest time in the event).  

–Lost and Found - There are still swimmers missing suits.  Please, please, please check your swimmer's bags for suits that were mistakenly picked up.  For all team suits, the names are on the inner label.

That is it for this week!  Have a wonderful February break!

Jeanne

Great meet this weekend against Flaherty!  We were so impressed at the number of best times the kids had and the fantastic finishes we saw in so many races.  All week we talked about touching the wall before the person in the lane next to you and the kids put their hearts into their races to do just that.  And when they weren't swimming, the kids were cheering each other on…something we love to see.  We don't have the official results yet so cannot tell you the outcome of the meet, but no matter the outcome, the kids did a fantastic job.  News for this week…

–Swimmers of the Week - This week's swimmers of the week are Ellie Smith, Deirdre Brown, Jacqui Cahaly, Nick Seeber, Thomas Castillo and Matthew Armstrong. Ellie, Deirdre and Jacqui are 6&unders who stepped up at the Flaherty meet to swim in a relay when we were short of kids. Although there were a few nerves, the three girls did a great job and were true team players! Nick, Thomas and Matthew are 13 year olds who swam up an age group so that our team had a swimmer/relay in the 15/18 events where we were otherwise short. Nick and Thomas helped fill out the free relay and Matthew was our sole swimmer in the butterfly. It can be quite intimidating swimming against people who are twice as tall as you and four years older, but the boys did a fantastic job and did it for the team. Congratulations Ellie, Deirdre, Jacqui, Nick, Thomas and Matthew!

–Focus of the Week - We noticed two things at the Flaherty meet that we will be working on this week.  First, swimmers are still not sure of their backstroke counts from the flags to the wall.  We will continue to work on this as it should be automatic by now!  Secondly, less breathing makes for faster swimming.  We will continue to work on getting the kids to breathe less in a race.  One swimmer took 2 full seconds off his 25 free at the meet because he tried breathing less.  And it worked!  Ask your kids about these things!

–Upcoming Meets - We do not have another dual meet until March 3rd, so enjoy your free Saturdays!

–Championships - The Championship meet is Saturday, March 10th at Boston University.  Everyone on the team will be entered in the meet and we assume they will be swimming.  The meet is split into two sessions because of the number of kids competing (there are 12 teams in our league).  Every year we have several families who have kids in both sessions and we are more than happy to help you with rides, etc. as it is a long day.  More meet details to follow, but for planning purposes the estimated timing is below:
    —10&unders – 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
    —11 & up – 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm

–Found
    —We found several items that were left at the Flaherty pool including several towels, socks, a black pair of sweat pants with white stripes on the side (kids size 8, Lands End), and a pair of gold fur lined crocs (smaller size).  The towels and socks will be put on the lost and found table at the pool.  I will have the sweat pants and crocs in my bag, so let me know if either are yours.  
    —Last week a blue latex Speedo swim cap and light pink pair of Speedo Vanquisher goggles were found in the girls locker room.  Let me know if they are yours.

–Lost - Eliya Howard-Delman is missing her team cap (her name is on it) and a pair of light blue rimmed Speedo goggles.  They were last seen in the locker room this past Tuesday and were mistakenly picked up just after the 7/8 year old practice.  Please check your swimmer's bag and let me know if you find them.

–Girls Locker Room - Sorry to keep harping on this, but if everyone could remind their girls to pick up after themselves in the locker room (trash, clothes, etc.) and be aware of the amount of water they are getting on the floor, that would go a long way in making the locker room a cleaner and safer place.  As for the water…multiple kids in the showers cause the water to spill on to the floor; squeezing out water from hair over the floor as opposed to in the shower once the water is off adds more water to the floor; walking across the floor dripping wet as opposed to having your towel next to the shower gets more water on the floor as well.  If everyone takes a bit more care with the water and the trash, it will make a big difference!  

–Spring Swimming - Matt DeChane, pool director, is offering a spring swim team again this year.  For more information, go to:
 https://tms.ezfacility.com/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=1809&GroupID=119568.

That is it for this week!  See you at the pool!

Jeanne

We had an exciting meet this weekend and although we didn't come out on the winning side of it, it was great to see the kids get excited about the competition and be a part of a meet where every race counted.  What was most important, however, was the good sportsmanship that the coaches saw at the meet and the support the Wayland swimmers gave each other.  News for this week…

–**Schedule Change** - Tuesday's (Jan. 24th) schedule is different due to a high school meet, so please take note:
         -6&unders – NO PRACTICE
         -7/8s – NO PRACTICE
         -6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – 9/10s (**New Time)
         -7:15 pm – 8:15 pm – 6^th/7^th/8^th grade (**New Time)

–Swimmers of the Week -  This week's swimmers of the week are Wilson Harding and Remmi Shaw.  When we were thinking we would have to cancel our 7/8 boys B relay because we had one too many sick swimmers in that age group, Wilson, age 6, came to the rescue and swam on the relay for us.  He had a fantastic swim on his very first relay ever.  He was a true team player!  Remmi displayed incredible sportsmanship when just before stepping up to the block for her race, she turned to her Longfellow competitor and wished her luck.  What a great team representative!  Congratulations Wilson and Remmi!

–Focus of the Week - A lesson we learned this past weekend is that we need to focus on the details a bit more.  Longfellow definitely had the upper hand with the details (starts, turns, streamlines).  So this week we will focus on those details.  Every little thing that the swimmers can do to improve their stroke/turns/race will pay off in the meets.  And it can really make a difference in a close meet!  Ask your kids about it!

–Meet Saturday - Our last home meet (we still have 2 more away meets) is this Saturday against Westford.  They are one of the smallest teams in the league, so our swimmers will have a chance to swim some events that are not their "usual".  Timing is:
    –12:45 pm - Arrival
    –1:00 pm – Warm Up
    –1:30 pm – Meet Starts
As always, please sign up on the bulletin board as to whether your swimmer will be at the meet.  And please sign up to volunteer as well!

–Upcoming Meets - Our last two meets (Flaherty and Mystic Valley) will be very competitive and we are excited for them!  We hope that all team members will be at these meets!

–Gentle Reminder - Just a quick reminder that all families are asked to volunteer at a minimum of one meet during the season.  As our meet schedule winds down, this is a good chance to get your volunteer shift in.  If you are having trouble finding a spot, let me know and I can help you!

–Goggles - We have noticed a lot of swimmers stopping frequently to fix their goggles.  While this is often because they need to rest, it can also be because they have worn-out goggles or ones that don't fit properly.  It would be helpful to us if you can look at your swimmer's goggles and see if they are in good condition.  If not, or if your child says they leak water, we would recommend the Speedo Brand Vanquisher googles.  They come in three sizes (Junior, Women's and Men's) and we have noticed that the kids who wear those goggles have the least amount of problems.  Dicks and Sports Authority sell them, and Amazon has them for about $15.  It is a great investment for your swimmer, particularly if they can swim longer without stopping. Feel free to ask us about it and no, we do not get any commission from Speedo!

That is it for this week!  See you at the pool!

Jeanne

-Swimmers of the Week - This week's swimmers of the week are Sophia Mastrangelo, Emerson Kiefer and Nick Smith. These three swimmers have an incredibly strong work ethic. They come to practice regularly, try their best with every set they swim, and are great listeners whether they are being told something about the set they are about to swim or something about their individual stroke technique. They have all improved greatly this season.  We love their enthusiasm for swimming and the team!  Congratulations Sophia, Emerson and Nick!

-Meet Saturday - We have an AWAY meet this Saturday against Longfellow Natick. Timing is:
–12:15 pm – Arrival
–12:30 pm – Warm Up
–1:00 pm – Meet Starts
Longfellow has a big, competitive team…so we hope everyone will be at the meet. As always, please sign up on the bulletin board as to whether your swimmer will attend the meet. We will also need some volunteers, so please sign up for that as well. (FYI…we will be swimming in a six lane pool with two big teams, so the meet won't go quite as quickly as we've become used to.)

-Championships - They are on March 10th at Boston Unversity.  We expect that everyone will be swimming in them.  More details to come.  If there are any issues, please let me know.

-Lost Suit - Nick Smith is missing his practice suit (black jammer with one read stripe on one side). It was last seen tonight (Sunday) on the floor of the locker room. His name is written on the inner tag. Please check your swimmers' bags to see if the suit was accidently picked up. Also, still missing are the female team suits of Alexa Santos, Sophie Conroy (older version of team suit), and Emery Dutton (no tag inside). Please check for those as well!

-Food - We are still finding too much food in the locker rooms! Please remind your swimmers not to eat in the locker room. As tempting as it is to eat in there, it creates a wet yucky mess.  Any snacks need to be eaten in the lobby.  Thanks!

That is it for this week!  See you at the pool!

Jeanne

Another great meet this weekend!  Wayside is a small team and as a result we were able to have many swimmers swim events that they don't usually get to swim.  For some, the events were a little out of their comfort zone.  But everyone swam extremely well!  Our record is now 4-0.  News for this week…

-Swimmers of the Week - This week's swimmers of the week are Elodie Carel, Margaret Davies and Emery Dutton.  Elodie showed tremendous resilience, flexibility and character at Saturday's meet when (1) in her first event her heat went off without her and she found herself then swimming with an older age group (2) the order of her medley relay was mixed up so she had to swim breaststroke against the butterflyers (3) at the very end of the meet she agreed to be on a freestyle relay as one of her teammates had gone home sick.  She faced all of these challenges with a smile!  Margaret arrived at the meet early and helped with many, many set up jobs including setting up the timer clipboards, plugging in timing system wires and putting the meet programs together.  She, too, did it all with a smile!  Emery was done with all of her races and in the locker room gettng reading to change when we found out one of her teammates was not at the meet and we asked her if she would swim a free relay about 5 minutes before the relay was to go.  She didn't even have to think about it…she immediately said yes and was out of the locker room ready to go!  All three girls are true team players.  Congratulations Elodie, Margaret and Emery!

-Upcoming Meets - We are half way through our dual meet schedule.  We do not have a meet this weekend.  Enjoy your free Saturday!

-Focus of the Week - We will continue to focus on breaststroke this week.  We will also be focusing on starts and finishes.  On the start, it is important that swimmers come down together and hold when the starter says, "take your mark".  At this point, the swimmers should not be moving.  Once everyone is still, the starter will sound the beeper.  For finishes, it is important that swimmers keep their heads down and finish fast to the wall.  They should not slow up before touching the wall.  We worked on both starts and finishes Sunday…ask your swimmers about it!

-Lost Suit - We are still looking for Sophie Conroy's suit.  It is black with orange stripes on each side (it was our team suit two years ago) and has "Conroy" written on the inside tag.  It was last seen on the lost and found table.  Please check your swimmers' bags to see if it was picked up by mistake.

-Locker Rooms - We are still finding food and food wrappers in the locker rooms.  Please, please, please remind your kids that food is not allowed in the locker rooms.

-Lost and Found - Please check it!

That is it for this week!  See you at the pool!
Jeanne

Happy New Year!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful couple of weeks…joyful and restful.  It is hard to believe that school and swim team start up again tomorrow…wow!  News for this week…

-Meet Saturday - Our next meet is a HOME meet this Saturday against Wayside.  Timing is:
    –12:45 pm – Arrival
    –1:00 pm – Warm Up
    –1:30 pm – Meet Starts
As always, please sign up on the bulletin board as to whether your child will be swimming.  We need our usual volunteer slots filled, so please sign up for those as well.  A gentle reminder…all families are asked to volunteer at a minimum of one meet during the season.  If you are having trouble finding a spot to volunteer, let me know and I will be glad to help you.

-Upcoming Meets - As we enter this part of our season, we have 5 dual meets left and the championship meet.  We would love everyone to swim in every meet but do understand that isn't always possible.  So as you look at our schedule, our most competitive remaining meets are the Longfellow (Jan. 21st), Flaherty (Feb. 5th) and Mystic Valley (March 3rd) meets.  If at all possible, please plan on attending those meets.  Also, we expect that everyone will swim in the championship meet on March 10th.

-New Years Celebration - Our annual holiday celebration is a New Years celebration this year and will take place on Thursday.  There will be some guest swimmers with your kids on Thursday…and treats with pizza night.  

-Congratulations to those at practice on New Year's Day!  Every age group was given a challenge set and did a great job completing them. Ask your kids about it!

-Focus of the Week - This week we will focus on breaststroke.  It is a stroke where timing is everthing.  Additionally, the mechanics of both the arm pull and the kick can be hard to grasp.  Those swimmers who are natural breaststrokers are very lucky…those of us who are not have to work much harder to get the stroke down.  I am still working on it after all these years!!  Ask your kids about it this week!

-Locker Rooms - As we start up again, please remind your kids to pick up after themselves in the locker rooms.  Also remind them that no food is allowed in the locker rooms.  Thanks for your help with this!

-Lost and Found - Still overflowing…make sure to check it for lost items!

That is it for this week!  See you at the pool!

Jeanne